modus ponens

noun

"modus-ponens" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“modus ponens” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
12
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A valid form of argument in which the antecedent of a conditional proposition is affirmed, thereby entailing the affirmation of the consequent. Modus ponens has the form

Corpus desk

Index EN-modus-ponens · modus ponens · English

modus ponens · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "M" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for modus ponens
PropertyValue
Headwordmodus ponens
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters12
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “modus ponens” in English

modus ponensranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

modus ponens is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A valid form of argument in which the antecedent of a conditional proposition is affirmed, thereby entailing the affirmation of the consequent. Modus ponens has the form".

Zero misspellings are on record for modus ponens in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin modus ponendo ponens (roughly, “mode where affirming affirms”). The correct English form is modus ponens, spelled M-O-D-U-S- -P-O-N-E-N-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A valid form of argument in which the antecedent of a conditional proposition is affirmed, thereby entailing the affirmation of the consequent. Modus ponens has the form

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how modus ponens appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. 1. If P, then Q.
  2. 3. Therefore, Q.

Etymology

From Latin modus ponendo ponens (roughly, “mode where affirming affirms”).

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "modus ponens"?
"modus ponens" is spelled M-O-D-U-S- -P-O-N-E-N-S.
What does "modus ponens" mean?
As a noun, "modus ponens" means: A valid form of argument in which the antecedent of a conditional proposition is affirmed, thereby entailing the affirmation of the consequent. Modus ponens has the form
What is the origin of the word "modus ponens"?
From Latin modus ponendo ponens (roughly, “mode where affirming affirms”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list